1. Health records. Health records are normally filed in a health jacket within the Official Military Personnel Folder (OMPF). Health records cover outpatient, dental, and mental health treatment (for Navy only) which a former member received while in the military service. Health record documents include induction and separation physical examinations and routine medical care (doctor/dental visits, lab tests, etc.) when the patient was NOT admitted to a hospital. The health records were formerly retired to NPRC with the personnel record portion when a member was discharged or retired from military service. Since the early 1990's most of these records are retired directly to the VA, RMC.

2. Inpatient records. Inpatient (clinical) records are NOT filed with the health records, but are generally retired to NPRC by the facility which created them. Inpatient records are compiled when members are actually hospitalized while in the service. An overnight stay or admission generally makes a patient an inpatient. The resulting records from hospital care are called either clinical or inpatient records. Inpatient records are retained at the medical facility which compiled them for varying periods of time: normally one to two years, but up to five years for most clinical record libraries and up to ten years for a teaching hospital.

The earliest clinical record collections at MPR are:

Army - 1960; Air Force - 1957; and
Navy - 1940's.

3. Medical treatment records of dependents and military retirees created at military medical facilities.

     a. Retirees. For retirees, NPRC (MPR) stores records of inpatient, outpatient, dental, and mental health treatment. These records reflect health care for former members during their retirement years. Some record collections date from the 1940's and 1950's, but more comprehensive information exists beginning in the 1960's. The retiree records are sent to NPRC (MPR) from medical treatment facilities after 1-3 years of inactivity and are retained for 50 years from the year of last patient activity.

     b. Dependents and others. For dependents and others, NPRC stores records of inpatient, outpatient, dental, and mental health created at medical treatment facilities. MPR stores the records of individuals treated at Navy facilities; and CPR stores the records of individuals treated at Army and Air Force facilities. Some record collections date from the 1940's and 1950's, but more comprehensive information exists beginning in the 1960's. The records are sent to NPRC after 1-3 years of inactivity and are retained 50 years from the year of last patient activity.